The project provided cancer specialist support for people affected by cancer in the Gwynt y Môr area, irrespective of any other characteristics they possessed: 365 days a year nurse-led Freephone Cancer support Line, cancer nurse outpatient CallBack in collaboration with Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, virtual Sing with Us choir, and Tele-friend.

The funded period was a time of considerable additional stress and worry for those already diagnosed with cancer and those with undiagnosed symptoms known to be potential indicators of the illness. The Support Line and outpatient CallBack services were especially important, providing access to information and advice by experienced cancer nurses at a time when diagnosis and treatment were suspended due to the re-purposing of many NHS cancer services. The continued provision of weekly Sing with Us choir rehearsals through Zoom – with numerous sessions open to all every week – was invaluable in decreasing the sense of loneliness and isolation experienced by people affected by cancers. Similarly, the new Tele-friend service, in direct response to lock-down, provided a weekly half-hour one-to-one chat about anything with a trained volunteer, providing social contact and access to information regarding available holistic support services. All staff and volunteers would refer to colleagues when any support provided by Tenovus was required by a client and signpost or refer to a third or statutory provider when they did provide in-house support. All four support services contributed to the sustainability and equality of communities during lock-down by giving anyone affected by cancer access to necessary required specialist support.

In one specific case, “A 59-year-old gentleman…with metastatic prostate cancer received 7 scheduled phone calls from our cancer nurse CallBack service. He knows he can call our Support Line at any time in the future and has now applied to join our All-Wales Cancer Community (AWCC)”.

The All-Wales Cancer community gives people who are affected by cancer in Wales the opportunity to share issues that are important to them and share their experience of cancer with others.